Matchmakers
by Aurora Night
Summary: SandryBriar romance. After a year and a half of traveling around the world, Briar returns to Winding Circle… and Sandry.
1. Journey Home

Matchmakers:  
  
(A/N) This is the rewrite of chapter 1. None of the main plot (if you want to call it that) has changed. I've just added more detail like I said I would. The chapter may still be short, but it was more than twice as long as the original on paper. Chapter 2 is in progress. I'm not going to add Comas into the story, since I don't really have much to go on for his behavior.  
  
Ok. I'm sort of running out of ideas for the plot of this story. In reviews, PLEASE write some ideas, and I'll see what I can do with them. A big thanks goes out to all who reviewed. You've made me feel a lot more confident about my writing and have helped me improve my work... hopefully. You can be the judge on that, but don't be too harsh. Lol. Enjoy!!!  
  
Chapter 1: The Journey Home  
  
Sixteen-year old Sandrilene fa Toren sat in her room in discipline waiting for the arrival of her foster-brother Briar Moss. She had received a letter from him only a few days before saying that he, his teacher Rosethorn, and his student Evvy were finally heading home and would be there within a week. Of all of her foster-siblings, Sandry had missed Briar the most, and she couldn't wait for him to return.  
  
Briar was a plant mage, and was being taught by Dedicate Rosethorn of the Earth temple, one of the best plant mages in Winding Circle. During his travels with Rosethorn, Briar had discovered a stone mage, and, since there was no suitable teacher for her, Briar was given the responsibility of teaching her. Briar had not been thrilled about being a teacher, as he had written to Sandry very clearly in numerous letters.  
  
Trisana Chandler, one of Briar and Sandry's foster-sisters had not written had not written to either of them in almost a year. Sandry was beginning to wonder where Tris was and what she had been doing during her travels with Master Niklaren Goldeye, Niko to most everyone. Tris had taken the family dog, Little Bear, along with her and Sandry was beginning to miss him as much as she missed her friends.  
  
Daja Kisubo, Sandry and Briar's other foster-sister had only written a few letters during her voyage with her teacher Dedicate Frostpine of the Fire temple. In the last letter she had sent to Sandry, she had discovered both a cooking mage and a carpenter mage, and was having to teach both of them. After that letter, Briar quit complaining so much in his. Daja wrote a lot about fighting fires in the houses of Kugisko, a port in Namon. From what she told Sandry, Daja was very impressed with the local firefighters' techniques in fighting fires.  
  
"Sandry, waiting like that will make it seem even longer. Go find something to do; something useful." Sandry turned around to see her teacher, Dedicate Lark of the Earth temple, standing in the doorway.  
  
Sandry rolled her eyes. "Yes Lark." She waited for her teacher to leave, then walked over to the large wooden chest at the foot of her bed. She opened it and pulled a folded hunter green material out of a cloth bag. The material was to be made into an elaborate cloak for Briar's seventeenth birthday, which wasn't too far away. Sandry worked diligently on the cloak for two full hours after midday before deciding to take a break. She climbed onto the roof through the trap door in the attic. She lay down on her back to watch the clouds like she and her friends used to do whenever they had the chance. Without meaning to, she fell asleep on the thatch roof in the warm afternoon sun.  
  
() () () () () () () () ()  
  
Briar Moss sat nervously on the edge of his seat. The wagon that he, Rosethorn, and Evvy were riding in was slowly drawing nearer and nearer to his home and closer to Sandry... and Lark, he added quickly. Briar wondered how much Sandry had changed since the last time he saw her. He knew that she had spent most of the time that he, Tris and Daja were away helping her uncle, Duke Vedris IV of Emelan, recover from the heart attack he had. Was the Sandry that he would see in just a short time be different from the Sandry that he had known two years ago? How would he deal with her if she'd turned into just another noble?  
  
"Pahan Briar?" Evvy asked from the back of the wagon, interrupting his thoughts of his noble friend. "You got a funny look on your face." Evvy was from the streets, just like Briar had been, and she had the grammar to prove it.  
  
"You have got, girl." Rosethorn corrected. "She's almost as bad as you were." Briar grinned broadly and took her comment as a compliment. Rosethorn had drilled good grammar into his brain, and only occasionally spoke street.  
  
"I was just thinking." He answered nonchalantly. Evvy was garrulous and asked questions about everything. In a way, she reminded him of Tris.  
  
"What about?" Evvy wondered, continuing her interrogation.  
  
"That, Evvy, is none of your business."  
  
Evvy laughed. She had been expecting him to say something like that. "I bet you were thinking about that noble-girl." She said noble like just saying the word physically hurt her. Evvy didn't like nobles, but Briar kept insisting that Lady Sandrilene fa Toren was not a typical noble. Briar had told Evvy that Sandry actually preferred being amoung common folk more than the other nobles and their parties. Briar often spoke about how Sandry always stood up for what she believed in, even if she was the only one. Every time Briar talked about her, which was more often than she would like, Evvy told him she'd believe it when she saw proof, but she still thought it impossible for a noble to act the way that Briar had described Sandry.  
  
Briar ignore Evvy, not wanting to admit that she was right – he had been thinking about Sandry. He pulled his magic tightly into him, hoping to surprise his friend. As soon as the wagon pulled up to Discipline's fence, he leaped out and raced inside. He found Lark in her workroom.  
  
Lark stared at him for a moment before she recognized him. "Oh, my, how you've grown!" she exclaimed, hugging him. Briar was now a head taller than she.  
  
Briar's eyes quickly surveyed the room. Not finding what he was looking for, he asked, "Where's Sandry?"  
  
Larks smile widened. "On the roof, I believe," but Briar was out of the room before she had finished her sentence. He ran up the stairs and opened the trap door leading to the roof and froze.  
  
(Please review with some ideas!!!) 


	2. Reunited

(A/N) This chapter kind of skips around a bit. I hope you can follow. And I forgot about Comas, so I'm not going to bother putting him in. So deal with it. Oh, yeah, since I forgot it in the last chapter... Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tamora Pierce, except Phantasma (which is a kitten).  
  
Chapter 2: Reunited  
  
There, halfway between Briar and the edge of the roof, was a sleeping Sandry. Briar's breath caught when he realized how truly beautiful Sandry had become. Briar had always found Sandry pretty, but 'pretty' didn't describe the girl in front of him now. Beautiful was the first word that came to his mind. Radiant, enchanting... Breathtaking. All Briar could think about for a full minute were words describing Sandry's beauty. Briar shook the thoughts away. This was Sandry he was thinking about. There could never be anything between them. They were best friends; nothing more.  
  
Suddenly nervous, Briar crept toward the sleeping Sandry. Why am I so nervous? Its just Sandry. Slowly, Briar let a tendril of his magic reach towards Sandry. He watched as Sandry's eyes snapped open and she sat up. "Hey Duchess," Briar greeted her; using the long-since-used nickname he had given her.  
  
"Briar?" She jumped up, ran to him, and flung her arms tightly around Briar's neck in a big hug that nearly sent them both to the ground. "I'm so glad you're back! I missed you so much."  
  
"Same here, Duchess." Awkwardly, Briar returned the hug by wrapping his arms around Sandry's waist.  
  
Without relinquishing her hold on Briar, Sandry pulled back to look at him. His jet black hair was a little longer now, but his emerald eyes were as captivating as ever, not to mention his even more dazzling smile. Dazzling? Since when have I thought of Briar as dazzling? Or captivating?  
  
Sandry was even more beautiful up close. Fleetingly, Briar wondered what it would be like to kiss her. As soon as he thought it, Briar shoved it out of his mind, remembering that Sandry was his foster-sister. Nothing more. At least that's what Briar kept telling himself.  
  
"Pahan Briar? Are you up there?" Evvy's voice floated up to them, breaking the moment.  
  
"Yes, Evvy. We'll be right down." Briar and Sandry let go of each other and climbed back into the house. "Sandry, this is Evvy, my student. Evvy, this is Sandry."  
  
Evvy looked from the noble to her Pahan and back again. If Briar trusted her, Evvy supposed she could too. "Nice to meet you , Lady." Evvy attempted a clumsy curtsy.  
  
Sandry hid her smile. "It's nice to finally meet you , and it's Sandry. No formalities, please."  
  
Evvy nodded. "You really aren't like most nobles."  
  
Sandry laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment." Evvy blushed slightly and walked back downstairs.  
  
"Well," Briar said, "I think she likes you. Ladies first." Sandry punched him playfully and followed Evvy downstairs. Briar watched Sandry. She walked with such grace it seemed as if she was floating down the stairs. Finally, Briar followed the girls.  
  
Throughout dinner, Sandry could barely take her eyes off of Briar. Every once in a while he would glance over at her and meet her eyes. She was surprised at how much he had changed. He was much more mature; he talked about more serious subjects, every once in a while, instead of joking and complaining all the time. He had grown to be a very handsome young man.  
  
Briar and Rosethorn were telling Sandry, Lark, and Pasco about one of their adventures they had had on their journey. Briar was making wild gestures as he described miscellaneous things.  
  
Pasco Acalon, Sandry's student had joined them for dinner. He didn't seem to like neither Evvy nor Briar, and he practically told them so. After only being there for a few hours, Rosethorn had already made Pasco thoroughly fear her.  
  
Evvy's cats mewed all around the table, begging for scraps. One kitten, in particular, took a liking to Sandry. Evvy had told her earlier that the kitten was another stray, and had refused to let anyone touch her. Evvy named that one Phantasma because she was like a phantom in the way she acted. Phantasma had been following Sandry around all afternoon, and was now sitting patiently beside Sandry. Sandry noticed that Evvy was slightly hurt by Phantasma's actions.  
  
After the evening meal, the group retired to the sitting room to talk some more. Soon, Sandry, tired form the events of the day, fell asleep in the chair she was sitting in. Rosethorn had gone to bed just a little while before, and so had Evvy. Pasco had left shortly after the meal.  
  
Lark smiled, seeing Sandry asleep. "I hate to wake her. She's been having too many nightmares lately. She needs as much sleep as she can get."  
  
Briar was confused. He knew that, for the most part, Sandry's fear of the dark had dissipated. He wondered what had happened to renew her nightmares. Just then it occurred to Briar that Sandry hadn't said anything about what she had done while he, Tris, and Daja were away. He mad a mental note to ask Sandry what she'd been dreaming about lately the next day.  
  
"Briar," Lark said, interrupting his thoughts, "Would you carry Sandry to her room? Try not to wake her, please."  
  
"Sure Lark." Briar stood up and walked over to where Sandry was sitting. Gently, he picked her up and was surprised at how light she was. 'I've got to make her eat more,' he told himself, carrying her into her room. He placed her carefully on the bed, took off her shoes, and pulled her blackest over her. Briar brushed some loose hair out of her face and was once again frozen by her beauty. Briar gulped and glanced toward the door to make sure no one was watching, and, light as a feather, kissed Sandry's lips and quickly retreated to his room. 


	3. Dreams

(A/N) This is a sweet chapter. This is the first 'romance' story I've ever written, so it may be a little awkward. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed me. Those few reviews have made me get back to work on this story. I've kind of strayed from the 'Matchmaker' plot, so Pasco and Evvy aren't really gonna play Cupids. Things are just going to happen btwn Sandry and Briar now. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Chapter 3: Dreams  
  
The next night, Sandry's nightmares returned. Except this particular dream wasn't like the rest. In this dream, Sandry watched helplessly as Briar was slowly being swallowed by the unmagic. Briar's face contorted with fear as the unmagic covered him from the waist down, pulling him deeper into it. Tears streaked down Sandry's face as Briar called to her for help. She wanted to move – she wanted to help her friend, but was being held down by unseen hands. Sandry woke with a start just before the unmagic engulfed Briar completely. Sandry decided she had to see Briar; if only to prove to herself that the dream was just that – a dream.  
Sandry took her light crystal out of the pouch that dangled around her neck and exited the room. She padded through the house to Briar's room and opened the door. To her surprise, Briar wasn't asleep. He was simply sitting on the edge of his 'nest', a mattress on the floor, with his head in his hands.  
Briar looked up when he heard the door open. When he saw whom his unexpected visitor was he blushed slightly, thankful that the only light in the room was the moonlight flooding in the window. "Hey," he said softly.  
Sandry, too, blushed. Now that she was there, she was regretting that she had come. "Hi." She stepped into the room and shut the door quietly behind her. Silently, she walked over to the window.  
Briar watched Sandry step into the moonlight, and for the second time his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sandry's beauty. After a long moment, he managed to tear his gaze away. "What brings you here so late?" Briar asked, though he was secretly pleased that she had come.  
"I couldn't sleep." She shivered at the memory of the dream that had awoken her. "Why are you still awake?"  
Briar shrugged. "Same. Bad dreams?" Briar had asked Sandry about her nightmares and he could understand why she didn't want to be alone after having another one. Sandry nodded and motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed. She told him about the dream and began to cry. He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. Briar knew from past experiences that his friend only cried when something was really serious. After a while, her sobs subsided, but Briar didn't let go.  
Sandry looked up at Briar, embarrassed for crying in front of him. "I should go." She stood up, but Briar caught her wrist before she got too the door.  
"You could stay." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. To his surprised delight, Sandry gave him a water smile and nodded. They had often fallen asleep together as kids, mostly when Sandry had had a nightmare and Briar had comforted her, but this time it seemed different. It felt somehow forbidden. Taking a deep breath, Briar climbed into the far side of the bed and lifted the sheets for Sandry. Nervously, she climbed into the bed and took the sheets from Briar's up-raised hand, never meeting Briars eyes. Lying awkwardly, they fell asleep on their backs.  
  
Briar opened his eyes and was pleased by the sight that greeted him. Sandry's face was a few short inches away from his own. Her hands were placed gently on his chest, and Briar realized that he was holding her tight around the waist, but he didn't dare move for fear of waking her. Briar also realized that during the night, their legs had become intertwined. Sandry's soft touch sent sparks through Briar's body. It was then waking up next to Sandry that he discovered the thing that frightened him the most – he was in love with her. Briar stared at Sandry, shocked at his realization. He knew that she wouldn't return his feelings – she was a noble, and he was an ex-street-rat. They could never be – Briar's thoughts came to a halt when Sandry opened her bright blue eyes. For a long moment their eyes met and neither could look away. Finally Briar greeted her, "Morning." Sandry smiled sweetly. "Morning." She looked out the window at the grey dawn. What time is it?" Briar's stomach did a flip when Sandry smiled. He looked out the window. "About six, I think." He looked back down at Sandry to find her watching him again. Sandry frowned. "I think I should go before someone else wakes up." She got up slowly, not wanting to leave Briar's embrace. Briar opened his mouth to say something to keep her there, but no sound came out. He watched Sandry pause at the door and smile at him before leaving. 


	4. Important

_**Hey everyone! Long time, no write… I know. It's been over a year, I think. I'm really sorry! Please accept my sincerest apologies. I was going through my Senior year in High School, and that was really tough cuz I was taking a lot of hard classes, plus being in A Cappella choir, and trying to get all of the college stuff done. Then I didn't write in this summer, because I was moving for college (I have my own house now!), and now I'm actually in college, and that's been really stressful change from HS. I know… that's no excuse. My dad also got a new job this past spring, so I've been helping my parents with the selling of our old house, and hunting for a new house, and then working on the fixer-upper house that my dad just HAD to buy (like he always does!) and that's still in progress though my mom finally convinced him to hire PROFESSIONALS to do the electricity and plumbing stuff. Isn't that just like a guy? Always wanting to do that stuff themselves and insisting that they can do everything? LOL. J/K. That's just how the guys in MY family think! And don't worry, my faithful readers, I have not forgotten about this story! I have like 10 more chapters written out on paper and I WILL begin typing them up for you, but it may take a little while… it's been a while and I'm a little rusty. Have no fear! I will get them to you as soon as I can. Once again, I really am sorry it has taken me sooooooooo extremely long to update… I also lost the disk with the story on it… luckily I found it while I was moving my stuff into my house!**_

_**Much love,**_

_**Aurora Night**_


	5. Resting

**Chapter 4: Resting**

Over the next few days Pasco and Evvy learned to tolerate each other, and they also noticed that something was different between their teachers. Briar and Sandry were evading each other as much as possible given that they were in the same house, but every once in a while, they would catch each other's eye, blush, and look away quickly.

During the rest period one day, Pasco met Evvy on the roof to discuss their teacher's strange behavior.

"He's in love with her." Evvy explained simply. "That's all there is to it." She was lying down on the thatch roof, eyes closed against the sun's glare.

Pasco, sitting a short ways away, leaned back on his elbows. "And Sandry obviously feels the same for him." He paused, thinking carefully. "We have two problems though; one: they won't admit it to themselves, much less each other, and two: They don't know what to do about their _more-than-friendly_ feelings for one another."

Evvy shook her head. "There's a third problem there. Sandry is a _Duchess_, and my _Pahan _grew up on the streets. Not a good match in most people's eyes."

"But Sandry's not like most nobles. If we can get them to admit their feelings to each other, no one else will be able to stop them from being together."

Evvy considered this for a minute or two. An idea suddenly dawned on her. She looked up at Pasco, who was grinning down at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "So all we need to do is give them a little push in the right direction!"

Pasco's grin broadened as she caught on. "Exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself."

For the remainder of the rest period, the two students schemed up various plans to get their teachers together, and with that, a new alliance was formed. Pasco and Evvy returned to barely tolerating each other until it was time to begin their master plan.

* * *

Lark and Rosethorn took Pasco and Evvy to the market place the following day, leaving Briar and Sandry to do all of the chores and to fend for themselves for the entire day. By midday, both Sandry and Briar had completed all of their regular chores and settled down at the table for a midday meal before working on individual projects. Briar and Sandry had not been alone together since Sandry spent the night in Briar's room. They ate their food in silence, not even daring to look at one another.

Sandry finished her meal quickly and cleared her dishes from the table before closing herself up in her room as she had been doing a lot lately. Briar took notice of how little she had eaten off of her plate. He walked to her door only a moment after she left and knocked. When there was no answer, he opened the door carefully. Sandry was sitting in a chair staring dreamily out the window. "Is it really that bad to stay here alone with me, Sandry?" When Sandry jumped, Briar apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me." He hesitated before speaking again. "What's going on, Sandry?"

The question startled her, and she turned back to the window. "What are you talking about?"

Briar stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He walked to the other side of the room and sat on the bed only a few feet from Sandry's chair. "You're acting strange. You won't look at me, you barely talk to me, and you can't even stay in the same room with me… and you're not eating anywhere near as much as you should. Please, Sandry, tell me what's wrong."

She knew she should tell him how she felt and what was wrong, but she was scared that he wouldn't understand and wouldn't feel the same.

"Sandry?" Briar asked after a long moment of silence. He remembered how beautiful she had looked when he had first returned, but the Sandry in front of him was very pale and had dark circles under her eyes. "Please, Sandry, I'm worried about you."

"I know." Sandry's voice was so small and weak that Briar wasn't sure if she had really spoken, or if he had just imagined it. Looking at Briar, who had just knelt in front of her, she remembered how safe and good it had felt waking up in his arms.

Briar looked up at Sandry and for a few minutes, neither of them spoke or moved. They sat there staring at each other until Sandry had to stifle a yawn. A smile tugged at the corners of Briar's mouth. "Come, Duchess. I think you need a nap." Without warning, he scooped her up and placed her gently on her bed.

Briar straightened up to leave, but Sandry, already half asleep, grasped his arm. "Stay with me." Without delay, Briar nodded and lay down close beside her. He hesitated for only a second before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer. Sandry inhaled deeply and relaxed into him. Before falling into a dreamless sleep, Sandry heard Briar say, "Sweet dreams, Love," and felt him kiss her forehead softly. Soon, he too fell asleep.

* * *

Lark, Rosethorn, Pasco, and Evvy returned to Discipline just before dark that evening. Pasco and Evvy found their teachers still asleep on Sandry's bed in each other's arms. They shook hands on a job well done and quietly shut the door.

Rosethorn woke Sandry and Briar up for the evening meal. Afterwards, everyone went to the sitting room to work on individual projects. Lark was sorting through the fabrics she had bought earlier that day, Rosethorn was succeeding in keeping Pasco still while meditating, Evvy was going through her alphabet with Briar's help, and Sandry was weaving an intricate wall hanging. Briar, however, was finding it very difficult to concentrate on what he was doing. His gaze kept falling back on Sandry, who, after their nap looked like herself again and was even more beautiful and perfect while she was weaving.

Pasco opened his eyes when he and Rosethorn were done meditating and almost laughed aloud when he saw how Briar was looking at Sandry from where he and Evvy sat. He met Evvy's eyes, who had also been watching Briar, and they shared a smile. They were proud of themselves for the first part of their plan having worked so well, even though in actuality they had had very little to do with it.

Pasco and Evvy retired to their rooms, soon followed by Lark and Rosethorn going to theirs. Briar sat for a long time just watching Sandry weave her magic into the tapestry. Finally the bright glow of Sandry's magic subsided and she looked around the room. Seeing that she and Briar were the only ones in the room, she asked, "What time is it?"

"After midnight. Everyone went to bed hours ago." Briar yawned and stretched.

Sandry sat back in her chair, tired out from using so much of her magic at once. "Why are you still here, then?"

Briar shrugged nonchalantly. "I like watching you weave. Anyway, you need to get to bed. You tired yourself out."

"Mm-hmm." Sandry was already asleep in the chair, and for the third time, Briar lifted her up and took her to her bed. He kissed her again before turning and leaving.

Pasco and Evvy both gasped inaudibly when they saw Briar kiss Sandry. They had been watching them from the stairs ever since Lark and Rosethorn had gone to bed. They scrambled into Evvy's room when Briar turned to leave Sandry's room.

"I can't believe it's working this fast." Evvy commented in a hushed voice. "I thought it would take a lot longer for him to kiss her."

Pasco rolled his eyes at her. "That kiss didn't count. She was sleeping." He yawned dramatically. "I'm going to bed. Night, Evvy."


	6. News

**(A/N) :** First of all, I want to thank all of you that have reviewed since I updated. Your reviews help motivate me to write even faster so that I can update for you sooner. Unfortunately I haven't gotten any good ideas to work with, except to bring one of Briar's friends in from when he was 'Roach,' and I tried that, but it kinda blew up in my face, which was the first thing that made me want to rewrite the story. I rewrote it like 3 times, and I threw each of them out… LOL. (By the way, that idea came from elfin2 on 3-28-2004). Anyways, I hope you like this chapter… some of it may seem a little OOC, but bear with me here. I'm way out of practice!

**(A/N 2) : **I know that The Will of the Empress: The Circle Reforged is out now, but I haven't read it. I've read an excerpt though, and the characters seemed very OOC to me, but that's just my opinion.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Maybe someday I will actually get something published and have a bunch of my own characters and places, but you would not find me writing anything here if I were getting published.

**Chapter 5: News**

"Sandry! Briar! Could you come down here, please?" Rosethorn called. Up on the roof, Sandry and Briar looked questioningly at each other and went back inside.

"What is it, Lark?" Sandry asked when she and Briar found Lark and Rosethorn in the kitchen.

"We received some letters today. Daja and Frostpine are due back in about two weeks, and Tris and Niko in a month." Rosethorn handed the letters to Sandry and Briar so that they could read them. The circle would soon be together again.

* * *

Sandry's uncle had summoned her to the Citadel the next day, so she stayed there for a few days. She was surprised to find how much she missed Briar, even though he was still close enough for them to mind-speak. Sandry's uncle kept her busy, however, so she didn't have time to ponder her new feelings toward Briar.

On her last day at the Citadel, the Duke informed Sandry that there was to be a ball held in honor of the young mage quartet as soon as they were all back in one place. Sandry pretended to be excited about the ball, but in truth she had never liked those fancy socials. There were always too many conceded rich men with nothing to talk about other than how much money they had and how expensive everything they own is.

Sandry told Briar about the ball as soon as she got back to Discipline and he made a face. "Now I'm going to have to get all dressed up, and learn how to dance, aren't I?"

Sandry laughed and hit him on the arm playfully. "If it makes you feel better, I don't want to go either. I hate those things. And you don't have to dance if you don't want to. I, however, won't have a choice."

* * *

Daja and Frostpine arrived a few days later. Daja and Briar told each other about their adventures abroad, but Sandry stayed strangely quiet about her time in Emelan. Daja inquired to Briar about Sandry's ambiguousness, and Briar told her that Sandry couldn't talk about it and that he didn't know anything about it either.

Tris and Niko arrived the next week, and the ball was only a few days later. Sandry, Briar, Daja, and Tris stayed at the Citadel the night before the ball so that they could have more time to get ready. Sandry had made Tris' and Daja's gowns as well as her own; she had also given Briar's birthday present (a beautifully made hunter green cloak with silver vines embroidered into it) to him early so that he could wear it to the ball if he wanted to.

Just as Sandry finished getting dressed, there was a knock on her door. "Are you ready, Sandry? Or should we be calling you _Sandrilene_ tonight?" Briar joked from the other side of the door.

"Very funny, Briar." Sandry flung the door and Briar almost fell inside.

As soon as Briar saw Sandry in her strapless lavender gown that fit her figure perfectly, with her light brown hair falling down her back in ringlets, and her cornflower blue eyes sparkling, he froze just as he had on his first day back.

Sandry noticed that Briar had stopped just inside of the doorway, and turned to face him. "What? Is something wrong with it? Is it too much?" She hurried over to the full-length mirror on the other side of the room to examine her gown once more.

Briar came out of his trance he was in and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him nervously. "N-no," he stuttered, "It's perfect. You look beautiful."

Sandry relaxed and turned away from the mirror. "Thank you."

Briar couldn't think of anything more to say, and he looked everywhere but at Sandry. _Why am I being such a bleater? It's just Sandry, _Briar thought.

There was another knock on the door and Tris and Daja came into the room. Tris was wearing a sky blue off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves, and Daja's was a fiery red short-sleeved v-neck dress. Both girls had their hair up in their usual ways. "You clean up good, Thief-boy," Tris told Briar.

"Same to you, Coppercurls," Briar replied.

"These dresses are beautiful, Sandry." Daja complimented as the four of them exited Sandry's bedroom.

Ten minutes later they were in the elegantly decorated ballroom with the other guests. Briar watched as Sandry was asked to dance with every eligible bachelor there, and even some ineligible men. He took notice that she had her fake smile on, but knew that only someone who really knew her would be able to tell it wasn't genuine. Briar turned away, feeling a pang of jealousy, but refusing to admit that he wanted to be the only one that Sandry was dancing with.

* * *

**

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(A/N): How was it? Was the end of this chapter a bit too cheesey? I can't decide. Please tell me what you think so that I can hurry up and post the next chapter… By the way, I think more people need to write Sandry/Briar fics, cuz there seriously aren't enough out there. And has anyone read The Circle Reforged yet?**How was it? Was the end of this chapter a bit too cheesey? I can't decide. Please tell me what you think so that I can hurry up and post the next chapter… By the way, I think more people need to write Sandry/Briar fics, cuz there seriously aren't enough out there. And has anyone read yet? 


	7. No Longer Friends

**(A/N) : **Ok, so my mom and I went Christmas shopping the other day, and I found The Will of the Empress at one of the stores. I, of course, bought it, my mom took it and said that it was going to be a Christmas present, so I can't read it until Christmas! AHHHH! Now time is going to go soooo slow, and I know I still have like 5 other books that I need to read before that one, but I still want the book NOW. LOL. Thanks for letting me rant like that. Just for that, I'm going to give you the long-awaited Sandry/Briar moment of truth. (I don't suppose that Sandry and Briar end up together in TWE, do they? NO… don't tell me anything about it… I don't want to know until I read it. I seriously doubt it will happen, but I can dream, can't I?) Well, here you go…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Chapter 6: No Longer Friends**

Sandry couldn't put up with the noblemen in that ballroom any longer and decided she just had to get away as soon as she had the chance. Finally there was a break in the music so that the band could rest. Sandry crept behind a nearby statue and wove a spell of invisibility around her and quietly left the ballroom. She walked to her room in the main building of the citadel and changed from her elegant ball gown into a simple cotton dress; she could only stand to wear those outfits for so long. She then left the citadel entirely and stole her horse out of the stables. Quickly and carefully, she saddled her horse and rode out through the front gate, making it invisible before she reached where the guards stood watch.

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Briar was looking out a front window when he saw a glow moving toward the front gate. He recognized the glow as Sandry's magic. _**Sandry**?_ He asked through their magical bond, **_Where are you going?_**

Briar felt surprise coming from Sandry before she answered, **_To_ _Discipline_** With that she cut off the bond. Briar immediately left the ballroom, unnoticed, and went to the stables to follow Sandry.

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Briar looked around the cottage before it became apparent that Sandry, after tying her horse up on the front fence, had gone straight to the roof. Briar took off the cloak that Sandry had made for him in the attic and climbed up on the roof.

"I should've known you would follow me," Sandry said without turning around.

Briar came to sit beside her. "Why did you leave? You _looked_ like you were enjoying yourself."

Sandry continued to stare at the dark sky and scoffed. "I couldn't stand those _nobles_ any longer. All they know how to talk about is their money and their properties."

Briar stared at her. In the moonlight, she looked unearthly beautiful, even dressed in such a simple outfit. She had said 'nobles' like the word made her ill. He shook his head and lay back, arms behind his head. _Maybe I was just hearing things._ They sat in silence for a long while, both just gazing up at the flickering stars. Finally Briar spoke, "What happened, exactly, while we were gone?"

Sandry's gaze faltered and she looked down. She was silent for a moment longer. Sighing, she told him everything that had happened, not leaving out a single detail. By the end of her tale she was crying and Briar sat up again. He pulled her into his arms and let her cry. He hated to see Sandry crying, but he knew, knowing Sandry, that she had not allowed herself to cry at all during that time, and he thought she just needed to cry for a while. When Sandry stopped crying, it was an hour later, and almost midnight. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect to break down like that," she said, wiping her eyes and nose on her handkerchief.

"It's ok," Briar said gently, his arms still around Sandry. He brushed her hair away from her face so he could see her eyes. "It's alright to cry sometimes. No one will think any less of you."

Sandry gave him a watery smile. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Sandry hugged him. "For being here, for being you."

Briar hugged her back, loving how she felt in his arms. He pulled back to look at her more closely. Her eyes were red from crying, but she still looked as beautiful as ever. He looked into her eyes for a moment before his gaze slid down to her mouth. He looked up at her again to see her watching him, her eyes twinkling. That was all he needed. He closed the space between them and touched his lips to hers. Sandry wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Briar ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking permission to enter, and she opened her mouth for him. He pulled her closer and broke the kiss.

"Wow." Sandry said, eyes still closed and lips slightly parted.

Briar, unable to speak for once in his life, just nodded and dropped his forehead to hers.

She opened her eyes, blue meeting grey-green, and asked, "So what does this mean?"

Briar swallowed hard. "I think I'm in love with you."

Sandry smiled and said, "Me too. I mean-" She was cut off by Briar kissing her again. Their first kiss was slow and exploratory, but this one was hard and passionate. Suddenly, a very loud noise made them both jump. "Boomstones?" Sandry asked, remembering the new weapons the pirates had used in their attack.

"No," Briar said, "they're called fireworks. Some mages somewhere modified some boomstones left from the pirate attack. I've never seen them before, but I've heard stories about them." Another loud crack sounded in the distance and was followed by a multicolored display of sparks in the sky. Briar moved so that his back was against the chimney, and so that he could see the show better, and pulled Sandry in front of him, wrapping his arms around her tightly, nuzzling her neck. Sandry and Briar no longer thought of each other as just friends or foster-siblings; they knew now that they were in love.

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(A/N): So… So..? So? How was it? I changed it A LOT from the original, and it is most definitely better, which I guess doesn't say much about what I had written in the first place. LOL. Please review! I REALLY want to know what you thought about this chapter.**


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